


Strong

by otomekaidii



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, Crying, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Empath, Empath needing to recharge, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-neutral Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Other, Platonic Cuddling, Reader-Insert, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28184115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otomekaidii/pseuds/otomekaidii
Summary: You slip away to the attic room for a quiet moment to yourself when Belphie comes to check on you.
Relationships: Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!) & Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	Strong

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr request

Up in the privacy of the attic room, you burrowed into the nest of blankets and plush pillows Belphie had amassed. What had once been a place full only of bad memories, had now become your little personal oasis when everything else simply felt like too much. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t love the brothers, you did - probably much more than you should. But there was only so much you could take before your well of energy would run dry. You wanted to help them, all of them, but the truth was, you had reached your limit long ago and simply had nothing left to give. 

Part of you knew that you could reach out to any of them and they would have supported you, comforting you for once instead of the other way around. But a much larger part of you feared their rejection. That once they knew you weren’t useful, you wouldn’t be welcomed anymore. That maybe you misunderstood all the acts of friendship, and you really weren’t all that important to them. 

So you put on a happy face, determined to be the one they could rely on - because at least then you felt safe, needed. And then whenever you could, you’d simply sneak away for a good cry, doing what you could to recharge your batteries on your own. 

Today though, today was different. Today, no matter what you did, the tears just wouldn’t stop. You felt so tired, exhausted even, yet you couldn’t sleep. You were lucky that you had managed to slip away undetected after dinner, because there was no possible way you would be able to keep up your facade in your current state. 

You didn’t notice however, when Belphie had opened the door to the attic room, having followed the sounds of your muffled sobs. Just by chance, he had been walking by the stairwell that led here when he had heard you. He didn’t need to be told who it was or even why you were there. He knew, or at least he had a very good idea. You had been going up there for weeks now, and he had always taken care to give you your space. But this time something compelled him to check on you.

“Hey,” he said, standing in the doorway. 

You jumped in surprise, choking back the sobs that were still wracking your body. Maybe if you just pretended to be asleep then he’d let you alone?

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

Oh. Right. He was the Avatar of Sloth. Of course he’d be able to tell if you weren’t sleeping.

“What do you want?” you mumbled, pulling the blankets up around your neck, trying to hide as much of your face as possible. 

“I thought I’d take a nap, but it looks like my bed is taken.”

“Oh, sorry, I can…” you said, frantically trying to get up. 

“It’s ok, I’ll just nap with you,” he announced, as he climbed into bed, spooning you from behind, preventing your escape, “This is a lot better than sleeping alone anyways.”

“Oh.”

“So, what are you doing up here?” he asked, nuzzling into your neck as he pulled you closer and settled in behind you, getting comfortable.

“It’s um...just quiet you know? And I like the bed…”

“Hmmm,” he hummed, “I thought it was because you were crying and didn’t want anyone to hear.”

You stiffened. He had heard you. How were you supposed to respond to that? Admit to crying and just downplay the severity? Perhaps giving him some partial truth as an excuse so he wouldn’t suspect anything? Or should you just deny having any idea what he was talking about altogether?

“I...ummm…”

“Don’t try to lie to me. This isn’t the first time you’ve come up here.”

“Uhh….” you were panicking now, your heart hammering within your chest. Was he mad at you for using the attic so often? Was he disappointed in you for coming up here to cry? You didn’t know what to think. And only worse case scenarios swirled around in your head. 

“Hey, what are you getting so worked up for?” he asked, having felt the change in your breathing - now rapid and shallow. He propped himself up on his elbow, trying to get a better look at you. When you didn’t respond, he gently turned you over so that you were laying on your back. 

You didn’t acknowledge him right away, scarcely able to even register the fact your position had changed. So he reached out and tenderly cupped your cheek, caressing it with his thumb and turned your head until you were making eye contact with him. After blinking a few times, your brain finally seemed to process the fact that you were now staring at Belphie, and decided now was as good a time as any to unleash the flood of tears you had been holding back since he had opened the door. 

Without a word, he wrapped you up in his arms, pulling you to his chest. Your arms somehow found their way around his waist, and you clung to him desperately. Laying down, Belphie brought you even closer as he started rubbing soothing circles on your back, gently shushing you and occasionally pressing kisses to your forehead while you continued to sob. 

When your tears had finally run dry, after what felt like hours, you attempted to sit up and separate yourself from Belphegor. But he was having none of it, and only tightened his grip around you, holding you in place. Your body relaxed against his, realizing that trying to get up was an exercise in futility. He hadn’t said anything yet, but you could tell he wasn’t going to let you go until you explained.

“...I’m sorry…”

“For?”

“...using the attic without asking. This is your space so I…”

“You can always come up here. It’s your space too. You don’t need to apologize for that,” he said, cutting you off before asking, “But why were you up here tonight?”

“...why do I have to be the strong one all the time…?” The words escaped your lips in a hushed whisper. You hadn’t meant to say them out loud, but before you could panic, Belphie asked you another question.

“What do you mean?”

You hesitated, did he really want to know? 

“...I...I don’t know...I’m...I care about you guys so much. And I always want to be there for you...but...I’m scared…”

“Scared?”

“That if I’m not...helpful...that you won’t want me around anymore. That’ll I be...that I’ll be just a burden...who would want to be there for me…?”

“...why would you think we wouldn’t be there for you?” he asked, hugging you tighter to his chest. Belphie thought back on all your interactions up until this point and couldn’t pick out a single indication that his brothers any less than adored you. He’d even go so far as to call them obsessed, himself included, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt they’d all jump at the chance to have the opportunity to return even a fraction of the love and kindness you had shown them. 

“Life experience, I guess?” you said with a self deprecating laugh.

“Then I guess we just have to change that. Look, I know my brothers would all do anything they could for you, but no matter what, you can come to me. Even if it’s just to hold you like this and sleep together. Just...don’t cry alone anymore, okay?” Belphie pressed another kiss to your forehead before resting his head against yours. You had done so much for him, he’d spend the rest of his life thanking you if he could. And if you needed to talk, or even just needed to cuddle, he wanted to be the one there for you.

You snuggled closer to Belphegor, wrapping your arm firmly around his waist. You wanted to believe him. If what he said was true, nothing could make you happier. Still, doubt and anxiety clawed at your heart, picking at old wounds that had never fully healed. But when you felt Belphie give you a reassuring squeeze, you were reminded of the fact that he was with you right now. So even if he was wrong about his brothers, you at least had him. And that made all the difference in the world.


End file.
